Bed table and commode



1962 c. s. COLEMAN 3,050,741

BED TABLE AND COMMODE Filed April 11, 1960 2 Sheets-$heet l INVENTOR. uAzLss Q. COLEMAN ATTORNEYS Aug. 28, 1962 c. s. COLEMAN BED TABLE AND COMMODE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11, 1960 INVENTOR. (males $.60LEMAN MAX-4 I swam Patented Aug. 28, 1962 3,050,741 BED TABLE AND CQIWMGDE Charles S. Coleman, 1802 W. 41st, 2nd Floor W., Kansas City 11, M0. Filed Apr. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 21,492 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-134) This invention relates to a bed table and commode and more particularly to a device for use in a hospital or sickroom for the support of an invalid during defecation.

The primary objects of the present invention are: to provide a mobile bedside table adjustable in height with respect to a bed supporting an invalid; to provide a mobile commode which contains a plurality of selectively foldable panels designed for the comfortable support of the back, seat and feet of an invalid and equipped with a readily removable vessel for receiving body waste; to provide a bed table and commode in which the leg and foot support may be folded and with respect to the horizontal so that the invalid will be in a sitting position when using the commode and to efiectively reduce the over-all length of the table for greater ease of mobility and storage while permitting said leg and foot support to be rendered coplanar with a horizontal table surface for convenience in transferring an invalid from a bed thereon; to provide such an apparatus having foldable arm rests and a retaining strap for the safety and comfort of an invalid during use; and to provide such an apparatus which is inexpensive to fabricate and easy to use.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the bed table and commode of this invention in plana position adjacent a hospital bed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention with the various sections folded in position for supporting a seated invalid.

threaded rod 11. A collar 22 engaged on the shaft 17 prevents axial movement of the bevel gear 19 in a direction away from the bevel gear 29. A thrust bearing 23 rotatably supports the bevel gear 20 for the raising or lowering of the threaded rod ll. Thrust bearing 23 is held in position by a bearing support 24 which rests upon a cross beam 25 which is maintained spaced from the frame 7 by risers 26 on each end thereof which are secured to the underneath side of the frame '7 by suitable means (not shown).

Foldable arm rests 30 are moved into arm supporting position as the back section 1% is raised. The arm rests 39 are comprised of link-s 31 and 32 which are respectively pivotally mounted to the back section 10 and the seat section 3 and to each other as best illustrated in FIG. 2, and when the back 10 is lowered the arm rests lie alongside the back and seat section. A buckle strap 33, having the ends thereof mounted upon the back section 10, are provided for strapping an invalid in the chair-like structure provided by the folded sections 3 and 10 in cases where extreme weakness of the person indicates the possibility of falling from the device.

A leg and foot rest indicated generally at 36 comprises a foot support section 37 and a leg support section 38. The leg and foot rest 36 is pivotally or foldably mounted on the forward edge of the seat section 3 opposite the back section 10 by means of a strip hinge 40, permitting the leg and foot rest 36 to be pivoted downwardly with respect to the seat section 3 to complete a seat-like structure. Collapsible braces 41 on opposite side edges of leg support section 38 support the leg and foot rest 36 in planar position with respect to the seat section 3, as shown in FIG. 1. Stops 42 mounted upon the forward pair of the legs 44 support the leg and foot rest 36 in the folded or invalid-seated position (FIG. 2).

The forward table legs 44 and the rearward legs 44 5 are maintained in spaced rectangular relationship by FIG. 3 1s a vertical sectional view of a waste receiving vessel resting in receiving guides on the under surface of the table.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the mechanism for raising the back supporting section of the table.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the table elevatin apparatus contained in the table legs.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates generally the bed table and commode embodying the features of my invention. The table and commode 1 has an opening 2 in a seat section 3 which coincides with the open end of a waste receiving vessel 4. The vessel 4 is carried in L-shaped retaining guides 5 on the under side of the seat section 3 by means of screws 6 or the like.

The upper supporting structure of the table and commode 1 is composed of a frame 7 on which is mounted in a horizontal plane the seat section 3. A strip hinge 9 pivotally or foldably connects a back section 10 to the seat section 3 at the rear edge thereof. The back section Jill is supported in raised or folded position by means of 2.

threaded rod 11 retained on the back section 10 by a bracket 12. The bracket 12 and the threaded rod 11 are pivotally joined by means of a pin 13.

The mechanism for raising or folding the back section 1% with respect to the seat section 3 consists of a removable hand crank 16 which is used to turn a shaft 17 (FIG.

4). The hand crank 16 has on the end thereof a socket 16 which mates with a polygonal head 17' formed on one end of the shaft 17. The shaft 17 is rotatably supported in bearings 18 and carries on the other end thereof a bevel gear 19. The bevel gear 1% meshes with a bevel gear 20 which contains a threaded bore 21 in engagement with the cross members 45. Caster wheels 46 are mounted at the bottom end of each of the legs 44 and 44 to permit easy mobility of the device. The legs 44 and 44' at the upper ends thereof are slidable in telescoping sleeve sections 48 shown in detail in FIG. 5. Threaded rods 50 are contained within the legs 44 and 44 and are engaged in the threaded bores 51 of the blocks 52 which are mounted in the upper ends of the legs 44 and 44', and spacers or washers 51' are provided'on the inside of the legs 44 and 44 to retain the rods 50 in vertical position. The threaded rods 50 have bevel gears 53 fixed to the upper ends thereof and in mating position with bevel gears 54 which are fixed to table-raising shafts 55. The shafts 55 are respectively associated with both of the legs 44 and both of the legs 44' at each end of the table in order that the table ends may be selectively raised or lowered.

The shafts 55 carry on one end thereof polygonal heads 56 adapted to fit the socket 16' of the crank 16 which may be removably mounted thereon or on the shaft 17 which controls the folding of the back section 10. If desired, the shafts 55 and a duplicate of the shaft 17 and gear 19 (FIG. 4) may be extended or adapted to terminate in similar polygonal heads on the opposite side of the table from that shown in FIG. 1 so that the device may be operated from either side.

In operation, the table and commode 1 is placed beside the bed supporting an invalid. The back section 10, seat section 3 and leg and foot rest 36 are rendered co-planar forming a fiat invalid receiving surface. The table is raised or lowered to a level somewhat lower than the bed surface whereby the invalid may be easily transferred thereto. If necessary, the invalid can be strapped to the back section. The crank 16 is fitted on polygonal shaft head 17 and the back section 10 is raised to provide a comfortable sitting position for the invalid. The collapsible braces 41 which support the foot and leg rest 36 are released to permit the invalids legs to extend downwardly for maximum comfort. After use, the waste receiving vessel ,4 may be easily removed and the collected waste material discarded. The table is again rendered co -planar by lowering the back section and raising the leg and foot rest 36. It is desirable that the table be raised to place the invalid on a slightly higher level than the bed whereby greater ease is experienced in his return to the bed.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described one form of my invention it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bed table and commode for temporarily supporting an invalid comprising, a frame, legs adjustable in height for supporting said frame in a selectively elevated position, a substantially horizontal seat section fixed to said frame and having forward and rearward edges and an underneath side, said seat section having an opening therethrough, a waste receiving vessel, means for removably securing said vessel to said underneath side and in a position communicating with said opening, a back section foldably connected to said rearward edge of said seat section, means 'for selectively folding and unfolding said back section for selectively maintaining said back section in co-planar and folded position with respect to said seat section, a leg and foot rest having aleg support section and a foot support section, said foot support section extending substantially perpendicularly to said leg support section, said leg and foot rest being foldably connected to said forward edge of said seat section and adapted to normally extend with said leg support section substantially perpendicularly to said seat section, collapsible braces adapted to selectively support said leg and foot rest in a position wherein said leg support is in co-planar relationship with said seat section and said foot support section is in a substantially perpendicular position with respect to said seat section, and caster wheels on said legs, whereby said table 'is rendered mobile and convertible from a planar prone-invalid receiving condition to a structure adapted for comfortably seating an invalid on a substantially horizontal seat section.

2. A bed table and commode for temporarily supporting an invalid comprising, a frame, legs supporting said frame, a horizontal seat section fixed to said frame and having a forward edge and a rearward edge and an underneath side, said seat section having an opening therethrough, a waste receiving vessel communicating with said opening on said underneath side,.L-shaped guides fixed to said underneath side of said seat section'forselectively retaining said vessel in communication with said opening and permitting removal of said vessel by lateral a section, means for selectively folding and unfolding said back section and maintaining said back section respectively in co-planar and in folded position with respect to said seat section, a leg and foot rest, said leg and foot rest foldably connected to said forward edge of said seat section, means adapted for alternately supporting said leg and foot rest in co-planar relationship with said seat section and substantially perpendicular to said seat section, and caster wheels on said legs, whereby said table is rendered mobile and convertible from a planar proneinvalid receiving position to a structure adapted to comfortably seat an invalid on a substantially horizontal seat.

3. A bed table and commode for temporarly supporting an invalid comprising, a frame having a forward and rearward end, a forward and rearward pair of legs supporting said frame, means simultaneously telescoping said forward legs for selectively elevating said forward end of said frame, means simultaneously telescoping said rearward legs for selectively elevating said rearward end of the frame, a .horizontal seat section fixed to said for ward end of said frame and having a forward edge and a rearward edge and an underneath side, said seat section having an opening therethrough, a waste receiving vessel communicating with said opening on said under neath side of said seat section, L-shaped guides fixed to said underneath side of said sea-t section for removably retaining said vessel and permitting the removal thereof by lateral sliding from said underneath side, a back section foldably connected to" said rearward edge of said seat section, means for selectively folding and unfolding said back section and maintaining said back sectionselectively in folded andco-planar position with respect to said seat section, a strap secured to said back section for retaining an invalid adjacent thereto, a leg and foot rest,

said leg and foot rest foldably connected to said forward edge of said seat section, collapsible braces adapted to selectively support said leg and foot rest alternately in a co-planar relationship with said seat section and substantially perpendicular to said seat section, and caster wheels on said legs, whereby said'table is rendered mobile and convertible from a planar prone-invalid receiving condi-' tion to a structure adapted for comfortably seating an invalid on a substantially horizontal seat.

7 References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 571,620 Mann Nov. 17, 1896 1,439,584 Textorious Dec. 19, 1922 2,009,605 Copeland et -al. July 30, 1935 2,500,544 Haskins Mar. 14, 1950 2,682,913 Scheide July 6, l954 2,707,137 Hollstein Apr. 26, 1955 2,731,072 Post Jan. 17, 1956 2,869,614 WaJnSley Ian. 20, 1959 2,913,732 Jones Nov. 24, 1959 

